Wave-motor.



- R. E. BRAKEY. WAVE MOTOR. APPLICATION IILED AUG. 31, 1909.

Patented May 23,1911.

'wlmesses ATTOQNEYS ROBERT E. BRAKEY, OF TENTURA, CALIFORNIA.

wAvn-Mo'ron.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 23,}1911,

7 Application filed August 31, 1909. Serial No; 515,381;

T o allwho'm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT E. Bunker, a citizen of the United States,and a resr. dent of Ventura,,1n the county of Venturaand State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and Improved ave-Motor, of which thefollowing isa full, clear, and exact description.

The invention is an improvement in wave motors, and has in view such anappliance embodying an endless chain or cable supported on wheels spacedat such distances apart as to permit of the lower length of the chain orcable sagging from the wheels into the water, the chain having actuatingblades hinged at intervals of its length to,

swing or told back or. the cliaih in one direction and held againstpivotal movement in the opposite direction when occupying anintermediate or vertical position, whereby the faces oi the blzidespresented to the incoming waves are unyielding, and the opposite facesthereof when acted on. will cause the blades to fold against the chain:ind offer little resistance to the return movementof the water.

The invent-ion further contemplates the independent vertical adjustmentof the wheels tocompensate for the rise and fall of the water level dueto the tide, and the adjustment of the wheels to and from each other toincrease or decrease the sag in the lower length of chain, in order thatthe chain may be adjusted'to the slope of the shore line which is variedby the drifting of the sands.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wave motor constructed in accordancewith my invention; and Fig. 2 is a perspective; view illustrating themode of applying the waveactuated blades to the chain or cable.

In carrying out my-invention I provide two supports arranged in a lineoutwardly from the beach in a suitable depth of water, each consistingof posts or piles 5, ar-

ranged side by side, spaced apart andg connected at their upper ends bya cross-bar 6. The posts of each frame or support are pro-' vided withvertical guides 6 on their outer faces, extending above the high waterlevel, and in each set of guides is suitably retained a bearing 7,15which is'journaled a shaft 8,

the shaft having one or more. fixed wheels 9, preferably in theform-ofsprocket wheels arranged in pairs adjacent to each end. At

the outside of each pair of s rocket wheels a yoke frame 10 is ourna1eon the shaft,

having a tackle block 11 arranged under athe two blocks beingoperatively connected by a cable 13 passing to one of the windlasses 14arranged one suitable frame 15 located on the beach. The supportingframes are braced by guy-lines 16 extending outwardly, the guy-lines ofthe outer frame being secured to piles or other anchorings.

1 7, and the guy nes of theinner frame tackle block 12 carried by thecrossbart,

passing to and detachably secured to the" frame 15, preferably bypassingthese lines over sheaves 18 arranged at the" top of theposts on whichthe windlzisses are journaled,

with the ends of the lines extending to and,

wrapped about cleats 19.

Carried on the sprocket'wh'eels 9 of the shafts 8, S,'is an endless belthaving pairs of'sprocket' chains 20, 20 arranged at each Y side, withthe chains'of each pair connected at intervals by cross-pins'21, thecross-pins being extended to form the pivots between certain of thelinks. The two 'pairs'of chains are connected together at intervals ofthe belt by actuating blades 22, each blade be ing in the nature of aflat plate or board out out at the opposite ends to receive the pairs ofchains, the connectionof theboard with each pair of chains beingeife'cted by secur-' ing to the rabbeted or cutout edge of the bliide.brackets 23 journaled on certain of the pins2l. That side of each bladepresented to the. incoming wave is prevented from swinging rearwardly bychains or other flexible connections 24: extending between-the loweredge of the blade and the pins 21 arranged at the front thereof, theblades being foldable on the endless chain or belt when swung in theopposite direc tion. The endless belt is of sufiicient length to admitof the lower length thereof sagging from the-sprocket wh els of eachsupporting frame into the water, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, In orderthat this sagging of the chain may be varied to accommodate the inotorto the variation of the bottom caused by the shifting of the'sands, theinner posts '5, 5, of the inner supportingfra-me are each hinged-at ornear the water level as indito and f nthe opposite and outer frame,

' whereby the shafts 8, 8 are carried to and -t'rom each other. One ofthese shafts, preferably that of the innermost frame, is provided with apulley 26 fortransmitting the power.

reached, when they again, swing out at rightangles tothe belt under theaction of gravity. Having thus described my invention, I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters I Patent:

1 1.4 In a wave motor, supports spaced apart, each having a revolublewheel, an endless beltcarriedon said wheels, with the lower lengththereof adapted to sag from the wlieels i1 1to, the water, actuatingblades arranged on the belt at intervals of its length, and means tovertically adjust he wheels .independently of each other.

2. In a wave motor, supports spaced apart, each having posts arrangedside by side in spaced relation, each post having a vertical guide, abearin 'slidable in each guide, a shaft journaledgm the bearings of eachsupport, wheels carried by the shafts, an endless belt passing over thewheels having actuating blades, a' frame' arranged inwardly 'windlassesin e from the s p rt' frames and having d feiiiritly] operated, yokeframes operative y coniieeted to the shafts,

and cables passing to the windlasses and operatively connected to theframes to. raise and lower the shafts.

3. In a wave-motor, supports spaced apart, each support having a shaftjournaled thereon provided with a wheel, with the upper portion of oneof said supports hinged to swing to and from the other support, anendless belt passing over the wheels of the supports having actuatingblades, means to independently adjust the shafts on the supports in avertical direction, and means to adjust the angular position of thehinged support.

4. In a wave motor, supports spaced apart, a shaft journalcd on eachsupport having sprocket wheels secured thereto and arranged in pairs,and an endless belt having chains arranged to engage the sprocket wheelsand provided with actuating blades, with each blade cut out at the edgeadjacent to the ends to receive the pairs of chains.

5. In a wave motor, supports spaced apart,

an approximately horizontal shaft journaled on each support, havingsprocket wheels se cured thereto, arranged in pairs, endless chainspassing over the "sprocket-wheels of the shafts, cross-pins connectingthe chains of each pair atinterva'ls of their length, blades hinged oncertain of the crosspins to extend between the chains and fold therea Intestimony whereof I have signed'my' name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT E. BRAKEY. W'itnesscs:

0. H. Honors, R. L. HERRIQK.

